Copper-safe for ich

[FOREIGNER]

I am currently treating 4 fish in a hospital tank with coppersafe (Mardel), I am also reducing the salinity on a daily basis on this tank. I read that if you treat in a barebottom hospital tank and syphon out the bottom every day, that will get rid of the trophonts? Anyone tried this? I am attempting a combination of different methods. Reducing salinity, treating with copper-safe, and vacuuming the bottom of the tank every day, replacing half the water and adding more copper safe according the volume of water removed. How long until I can stop treating using this method?
Another question I have is, I am using 2 powerheads normally used to mix saltwater for water chnages or to stir Kalk, since these 2 powerheads have been exposed to coppersafe, is it still safe to use them for my normal purposes? or is there any danger that the plastic absorbed some of the copper and that it will be released into the freshly mixed saltwater?? I have a reef tank, that is why I am concerned about copper in my display tank.
Any help is appreciated

 

[Percula9]

Actually when you vacuum out the bottom your removing tomonts. Trophonts are the ones attached to the fish. When the the tomonts hatch they become tomites. This is where the copper or hypo does its job. Ich can only be killed during the free swimming tomite stage. The power heads will be safe to use again. I doubt any copper will be absorbed by the plastic.

 

[Freed]

Instead of wasting your money on the chemicals why not just do hypo? You won't have to keep testing and replacing wasted chemicals you are taking out with every water change.

 

[FOREIGNER]

well, I had the copper safe already, and it was only 5 bucks. I am also doing the hypo treatment, but I want to make sure this stuff dies. I have read several articles about hypo not being completely effective

 

[Freed]

That's really only true if it's not properly done. I don't think you can combine copper treatments AND hypo though.

 

[itsthesong]

NO! You can't do hypo and copper, it will bring the copper to lethal levels. Just do the hypo.

 

[luke33]

I would suggest one or the other. Both will work but not both at the same time, its to much for a fish to take. The advantage of the hypho is that it doesn't kill the bacteria in the tank so you don't have to do all those water changes.....unlike copper. I tried copper with a 75g QT, it worked great but changing out half the water daily in a 75g tank sucked a big one. Never did that again.

 

[FOREIGNER]

Where did you get that?
As long as the concentration remains stable, salinity should not affect effectiveness or effects fo that matter of coppersafe, it is intended for fresh and saltwater alike, so how did you come up with this? I really would like to know so I do not make a fatal mistake

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10836312#post10836312 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by itsthesong
NO! You can't do hypo and copper, it will bring the copper to lethal levels. Just do the hypo.

 

[Redfish]

It seems that the use of copper has become kind of a no-no for a variety of reasons. I think primarily due to the perceived sensitivity of some fish to copper itself. It almost seems it has become the environmental friendly or "moral" way to treat.

I think that if you will take the time to do some research on this site you will see that there are several prominent experts in the field that use copper and for that matter formalin. Their opinion has been expressed on this site. I would also suggest that you review the information available on some of the major wholesalers and at least one prominent online retailer.

I have used seachems cupramine on any number of fish successfully with no problems. It is incredibly effective on ich and has yet to cause the death of a fish. I personally use copper with lowered salinity. I do not use the lowered salinity as a hypo treatment but as a stress reducer. I see no reason to hypo treat if using copper.

Do your homework on hypo and look at its apparent effectiveness. There are plenty of experience threads on the site.

 

[FOREIGNER]

THANK YOU!!!!
I have emailed back and forth with wetwebmedia members who have expressed their preference regarding the use of copper to treat C. Irritans
I also read reducing salinity aleviates the fish's constant osmotic regulation that ich affects. I have done tons of reading and correspondence with other more capable individuals and I agree. It seems like as soon as there is a new fad in, everyone turns against those traditional tried and true methods and really go off the deep end with all sorts of wild theories and treatments that do not work.

 

[Redfish]

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that hyposalinity does not work. It can be effective. I just believe there might be a better more effective treatment for some or even most situations.

I think we sometimes get so locked into one answer that we ignore the problems with what we believe the answer is and focus on the negatives of other alternatives. For instance, I bet you could read 20 threads and a hundred posts on hyposalinity being the answer to most ich situations and you will not find the first reference to the critical nature of pH in hyposalinity. Nor would you find a discussion on the effects of hyposalinity versus copper (particularly types such as cupramine, coppersafe, etc..) on biological mass health. It has been a lot of folks experience (again, do your homework) that it is much easier to maintain nitrifying colonies using copper (at least those discussed above). Every alternative has its peculiarities.

It sounds like you have done your homework. Good luck.